Ukraine says it has recaptured the airport in the eastern city of Donetsk after a day of air strikes and fierce gun battles with pro-Moscow separatists that left at least 48 people, including two civilians, dead. ‘The airport is under our full control. The enemy suffered heavy losses. We have none,’ Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said in a statement on Tuesday. The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also reported that it had lost contact with a four-member observer team based in the restive city since Monday evening. The battle for the main transport hub in Ukraine's industrial heartland erupted on Monday just hours after president-elect Petro Poroshenko vowed to take a tough stand against the ‘terrorists’. Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately called on Ukraine to end its ‘punitive’ operation in the rebel-held east and for talks between Kiev and the pro-Russian separatists.

Serbia has ordered the evacuation of at least 12 towns situated along the Sava river after a fresh surge of floodwaters wreaked havoc and forced more people to flee their homes across the Balkan region. At least 47 people have died after the region's worst rainfall in more than a century inundated large swathes of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia in recent days and unleashed more than 3,000 landslides that swept away homes and unearthed land mines from the region's 1992-95 war. The fresh evacuation orders included one for the town of Obrenovac, where soldiers, police and volunteers worked around the clock to protect the coal-fired Nikola Tesla power plant. Hundreds of people in the country were evacuated by helicopters and buses, joining about 7,800 residents already forced from their homes since Friday. Hundreds more were believed trapped in the higher floors of buildings, without power or phone lines.

The UN’s human rights representative in Ukraine has warned that a dark shadow looms over the prospect of holding next weekend’s presidential election in eastern Ukraine. After visiting Donetsk in the east and Odessa in the south, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic said the situation had deteriorated so much that the region could collapse. ‘I felt fear in Donetsk. And it is widespread. And the fear is not only related to security challenges, it’s also related to common criminality,’ he said. Simonovic added that he had received numerous reports of intense pressure being put on election officials in the region, which could put in doubt the possibility of holding the May 25 elections. Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said there has been an increasing number of separatist attacks on polling stations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, with the objective of disrupting Sunday’s elections.

Russian Ministries, a Christian mission group, said it would distribute hundreds of thousands of 'Gospel of Luke' in the Ukraine to help ease tensions amid fears of a new world war. They have already printed 200,000 copies of the Gospel of Luke in the Ukrainian language and intend to print another 200,000 copies in the Russian language for use in Russian-speaking eastern portions of Ukraine. The announcement came amid reports of 48 casualties in the port city of Odessa and more than 20 people killed in the city of Slavyansk during a full-fledged military operation. The group stressed that it wanted to distribute the Bible books ‘in a special effort toward reconciliation and the restoration of peace in the nation.’

On 22nd May there will be local council elections in England and Northern Ireland. On the same day people will be voting in the European Parliament election, which takes place every five years. The European Parliament is the only directly elected institution in the EU. This is the opportunity for the populations of every EU country to decide who will represent them in Brussels and Strasbourg. In Britain there are 30 parties putting up MEPcandidates.  As well as the 4 or 5 easily recognised parties there are the ‘Yorkshire First’ party and the ‘Pirate’ party.  In Greece the Golden Dawn have been approved for the EU election even though they are currently under criminal investigation. The Dutch are aware of the EU elections but only 20% intend to vote. In 2009 the Netherlands had the lowest turnout this century. See also Europe decides and Dutch least interested European elections 2014.

A first mediation attempt by the EU between Russia and Ukraine on their gas price dispute on 2nd May in Warsaw ended with no results other than the willingness to meet again. When asked about the atmosphere in the meeting, a spokesperson responded, ‘we are all adults’ and emphasised the willingness of both sides to meet again in mid-May. The core of the current dispute is how much Ukraine owes and has to pay for current and future gas deliveries from Russia. However, with pro-Russian separatists shooting down Ukrainian helicopters and with Vladimir Putin declaring a Geneva peace deal is ‘no longer valid’, the chances of a solution to the gas dispute are low. Ukraine’s energy minister said the doubling of the gas price by Russia was ‘discriminatory’ and ‘abusive’ and that Kiev will take the matter to the international court of arbitration in Stockholm.

While fears grow that Russia and Ukraine could ignite WWIII, the world also faces unprecedented global financial crises (see item on gas supplies), record-breaking natural disasters and attacks against life, family and religious freedom, a large Christian coalition has been urgently mobilizing a 40 day prayer campaign for peace that began on April 28th to help combat these alarming threats. This grassroots coalition of Catholic and Christian organizations worldwide is mobilising for 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting for Peace. Also May 9th has been declared a ‘Global Day of Prayer and Fasting for Russia’. Christians from the nations are called to pray and fast in one accord, for the blessing of the Russian people around the world. Let us, in the coming days, pray for the Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ to fall upon Russia and all the nations around her.

European leaders will discuss plans for deeper economic integration in the euro zone at their next meeting on 28-29 June, after an inconclusive summit on 23 May saw open divergences between France and Germany over ways to kick-start the EU's sluggish economy. See http://www.euractiv.com/euro-finance/eu-prepares-new-stage-economic-u-news-512943 European Council President Herman Van Rompuy will present a report exploring ways to deepen economic integration in the euro zone. Van Rompuy announced that ‘we need to take Economic Monetary Union to a new stage.’ and ‘I will report in June, in close co-operation with the Commission President, the Presidents of the Euro-group and the European Central Bank, on the main building blocks and on a working method to achieve this objective. For INSIGHTS into understanding and help you to pray into the European Financial System click the ‘More’ button.

Pray: for God to inspire the delegates as they prepare for the next meeting. (Ps.49:20)

More: http://site.prayer-alert.net/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=385&Itemid=85

Russia has launched one of the biggest security operations in Olympic history, a month before the start of the winter games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The authorities are deploying more than 30,000 police and interior ministry troops and limiting access to the area. The main concern is the threat of attack by Islamist militants from the restive North Caucasus region. Russia's most wanted man, Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov, has urged his fighters to target the Winter Olympics. The BBC's Steven Rosenberg in Moscow says recent deadly bombings in Volgograd have intensified those worries. President Vladimir Putin was in Sochi on Monday night to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas, appearing at a church service. ‘Starting 7 January, all divisions responsible for ensuring the guests' security at the Games are being put on combat alert,’ Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov said.

Eurozone’s pro-austerity and pro-Euro policies are in trouble. Right wing rule came to an end in France as socialism won. In Greece there is a dramatic reset of political landscape. In Germany the junior coalition partner gained in state elections while the support for Angela Merkel’s dominant party is eroding. As the Eurozone sinks deeper in a recession some expect bank turmoil. Italy and Spain’s economies may no longer be‘too big to fail.’ 63 years ago a European experiment to ‘put an end to war and guarantee an eternal peace’ was started and the European Union was created. On the 16th May 1949 in Strasbourg Robert Schuman said, ‘The European spirit signifies being conscious of belonging to a cultural family and to have a willingness to serve that community in the spirit of total mutuality, without any hidden motives of hegemony or the selfish exploitation of others'. The root of the EU was to bless the world. See:

Pray: for the EU to return to the vision of its roots and be a blessing to the rest of the world. (Zeph.3:9)

More: http://www.cnbc.com/id/47321849